Cold and Sharp: Sacred Mile Project Art Piece #2

Since January's ice storm storm, and all its side effects, dominated my attention for the whole month, it seemed clear my second art piece for the Sacred Mile Project should honor the ice, and cold, and stabbing pain.

I didn’t take any walks in the second half of the month, so there were no forest floor or mud puddle finds to create art from. I had to rely on the more immediate habitat of my home for materials. I wanted to create something that looked cold and sharp, so I wandered the house looking for supplies. I found the white plastic netting from some produce; used fabric softener sheets; scraps of silk and eyelet lace in white and cream; bits of an old, gray, ruined cashmere sweater; small remnants of silver holiday ribbon; and bits of a gray velvet upholstery sample. I added new threads and some beads from the cover of a damaged journal.

Usually I favor curves, spirals, and circles in my work, but to honor the cold, painful, sharp-edged spirit of this January, I cut my pieces into triangles and long jagged strips. While this piece has different shapes from my usual preference, I quite like how it came out. It captures the feeling I wanted it to express, and it has loads of texture - and y’all know I love some texture.

I added it to my journal on a background of packing paper which was previously used to protect my desk while I worked with wet mediums on paper. I don’t keep EVERYTHING, but I keep and reuse as much as I can.

I hope to get more walks and enjoyable outdoor time in February than I did in January. Not too bad so far, so I’ll take what I can get.

Don’t know what The Sacred Mile Project is? Read the introductory post. 

All photos and text in this blog post copyright Michelle Simkins, 2023. Please don’t reproduce or use for purposes other than personal, private use without permission.

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